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Lake Oconee
Lake Oconee is an excellent fishing lake located in central Georgia on the Oconee River near Greensboro, the real Buckhead and Eatonton. Oconee is known for very good bass fishing, great crappie fishing for huge slabs, and very good fishing for linesides and catfish. The lake was created in 1979 when Georgia Power completed the construction of the Wallace Dam on the Oconee River. Lake Oconee runs through Georgia's Morgan, Greene, and Putnam counties and is separated from its sister lake, Sinclair, by Wallace Dam. Lake Oconee is home to a number of golf communities, including Reynolds Plantation, Cuscawilla, and Harbor Club.
Lake Oconee Resources
Oconee: Level: Full at 435. Temp: High 70s to low 80s. Clarity: Clear. Bass: Guide Nick Knapp, with Elite Guide Service, reports, “During the month of June, it is transition month. I look for the fish to move from the banks on the periodic shad spawn that has been going on. Docks this month are going to be great. I like to flip docks with a D Bomb with a 1/2-oz. weight pegged. As the month continues on, I like to get off the points with a Carolina-rigged green-pumpkin Trick Worm and work it slow on tapering points in Richland Creek. As the water warms, it’s time to slow down a little bit.” Stripers: Capt. Doug Nelms, with BigFishHeads Guide Service, reports, “June will put us in the middle of the summertime striper and crappie bites, and us guides are pretty excited about it. Yep, I said striper! Stripers used to…
Read MoreLake Oconee Articles
GON was in the boat with Mark Smith with Reel Time Guide Service on the morning of June 11, 2019 and put together a timely fishing report. Mark hosts an annual summer fishing trip for the Putnam County Middle School girls basketball team through Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Mark called on some buddies to help…
It was an overnight fishing trip to remember in the upper stretches of Lake Oconee for Lynn Lucas, of Eatonton, and his friend Will Hawn. Lynn, who turned 78 years old at the end of May, said they fished the night of May 8 and into the morning of May 9. By daybreak, they had…
I enjoy college kids. They look at the world through a whole different set of eyes than I do, and when it comes to bass fishing, they are a good reminder that old tricks aren’t always the best tricks when it comes to catching fish. Clayton Childs, 21, of Bishop, recently graduated from college, but…
On Feb. 24, Mac McCutchin, of Greensboro, caught a rainbow trout from Lake Oconee that weighed 1 1/2 pounds and measured 15 inches long. Mac was fishing off his dock hoping to catch some crappie. “When I first got out there, I caught some crappie and a couple of catfish,” said Mac. After two hours,…
Brad Stalnaker rolled to a first-place finish in the Jan. 12 ABA tournament on Lake Oconee with almost a 4 1/2-lb. margin over second place. Brad had a five-bass limit that weighed 19.13 pounds. He earned $735 for first. Second place went to Kip Carver, who had 13.85 pounds. The tournament drew 35 anglers, including…
Lake Oconee Record Fish
| Largemouth Bass | 12-lbs., 14-ozs. | Bill Brantley | 05/14/12 |
| Hybrid Bass | 14-lbs., 4-ozs. | Jan Allen Ward | 04/03/91 |
| Striped Bass | 29-lbs., 14.9-ozs. | Fred Worthy | 05/10/96 |
| Black Crappie | 3-lbs., 12-ozs. | Edward Rhodes | 02/10/97 |
| Channel Catfish | 34-lbs., 8-ozs. | Jonathan Clifton | 05/31/98 |
| Blue Catfish | 70-lbs., 2-ozs. | Koob Moua | 03/22/23 |
| Flathead Catfish | 62-lbs., 10.4-ozs. | Rob Allgood | 03/11/23 |
| White Bass | 3-lbs., 6-ozs. | Tony Couch | 04/02/93 |
| Longnose Gar | 20-lbs., 13-ozs. | Dustin Turk | 10/05/19 |
| Chain Pickerel | 1-lb., 2-ozs. | Terry Brice | 03/05/17 |
| Spotted Bass | 5-lbs., 3.2-ozs. | Austin Skinner | 03/19/22 |
| Shellcracker | 1-lb., 14.56-ozs. | Randy Smith | 04/23/22 |
| Yellow Perch | 11-ozs. | John Moore | 02/16/23 |